Yugidoka: Hope End
by The 17th Chimera
Summary: Tres Tantibus 3
1. Chapter 1

'It's my turn!' yelled Tetsuo. 'I draw!' He glanced at the card he drew, and grinned. 'First, during my Standby Phase, my Clockwork Catapult gains a Clockwork Counter! Then, I Summon Tinplate Goldfish, and activate its effect to Special Summon a second Tinplate Goldfish from my hand! Now, with my UFO Turtle and my two Goldfish, I can construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Come on up, Tinplate Archduke!'

Behind Tetsuo, a massive iron-plated warrior appeared, looming over his opponent's field.

'Arr, very impressive,' replied his opponent. 'But I'm afraid it still only has the same attack power as me Oyacorn.'

'Not for long!' said Tetsuo. 'I activate Clockwork Catapult's effect, removing its Clockwork Counter to increase Archduke's attack power by 500! Now go, Tinplate Archduke! Destroy his Oyacorn!'

'Not so fast, boy!' interrupted his opponent, as Archduke's sword slashed towards Oyacorn. 'I activate me trap, Cornwall! This negates ye attack and ends ye Battle Phase!'

Around his Oyacorn appeared a wall of corn, that blocked Archduke sword and made it bounce off it harmlessly.

'In that case, I'll activate Archduke's effect,' continued Tetsuo, 'detaching an Xyz Material from it to change your Oyacorn to Defence Position! It's up to you now, Class Rep! I end!'

'To summarise, it's my turn!' said Takashi, drawing. 'I Summon Bugman X! Now, I activate Bug Road, allowing each of us to Special Summon a monster from our hand with the same Level as a monster we control!'

'Hey, Class Rep!' interrupted Tetsuo, annoyed. 'My Archduke's an Xyz Monster! It hasn't got a Level! So he's getting the advantage, not me!'

'Arr, ye friend be right,' mocked their opponent. 'And I'll be takin' that boon! I Summon Necorn, in Defence Position!'

'Well, I Summon Debugger Z!' declared Takashi. 'Now, I Overlay my Level 3, Bugman X, Debugger Y, and Debugger Z! Xyz Summon! Come on out, Vaccingale!'

Beside Takashi appeared a pixelated girl, dressed in a nurse's outfit and wielding a massive needle.

'Now go, Vaccingale!' instructed Takashi. 'Destroy his Oyacorn! And to summarise, that leaves you with only one monster! I set a card and end.'

'Arr, I think ye be underestimating me,' replied their opponent. 'Ye not be dealing with a simple thug, here, I am Captain Corn, commander of the Black Corn! And now, ye'll be witnessin' that power for yeselves! I draw!' Corn laughed. 'Say ye prayers, boys! I activate Preparation of Corn, Special Summoning me Oyacorn back from me Graveyard in Defence Position! Now, I Overlay Oyacorn and Necorn! With these two monsters, I construct the Overlay Network!'

The two monsters descended into a galaxy-shaped portal in the ground, from which emerged a massive black cob of corn. Around it span two black objects, and the top of the corn unfolded, revealing the body of a ship, and a mast, from which unfolded a sail with the number 50 emblazoned upon it in red.

'Xyz Summon! Rise forth, Number 50!' intoned Corn, smirking. 'The accursed ship, Black Corn!'

* * *

Outside, in the massive empty spaces of Heartland's amusement park, two vehicles, one a deep red and the other a striking gold, sped alongside one another.

'Go, Black Ray Lancer!' yelled Ryoga. 'Attack his OKa-Thunder! Black Spear!'

'Trap activate!' replied Thunder Spark. 'Thunder Ball! This negates your monster's attack!'

As his Lancer's spear was intercepted by a ball of light, Ryoga smiled. 'I expected nothing less,' he said. 'I'll set a card and end.'

_My set card is Zeus' Breath,_ he mused. _Between that and Lancer, I should be safe for at least another turn._

'It's my turn, I draw!' stated Thunder Spark. 'According to the rules of the Speed Duel, whoever is ahead may Normal Summon twice during each turn! So, I can Summon twice, and I Summon ONi-Thunder and ONe-Thunder! And, because I control all four members of the "Thunder" family, I can Special Summon OToNaRi-Thunder from my Deck!'

_Five Level 4s?_ thought Ryoga. _What the hell is coming…?_

'I Overlay my five Level 4 monsters!' declared Thunder Spark. 'And with them, I construct the Overlay Network!'

Beside him, the monsters descended into a galaxy-shaped portal, from which emerged a glittering white orb, across the surface of which sparked constant electricity.

'Xyz Summon, Number 91! The king of the storm, Thunder Spark Dragon!'

Beside Thunder Spark appeared a massive serpent, the body of which trailed past Ryoga's Lancer.

'That's big,' conceded Ryoga, 'but what can you do with it?'

'Just watch!' replied Thunder Spark. 'By detaching five Xyz Materials from Thunder Spark Dragon, I can destroy all cards on your field!'

'_What?_' cried Ryoga.

'Go, Thunder Spark Dragon!' ordered Thunder Spark, as beside him the serpent swallowed each of the five golden orbs that were orbiting it, before it twisted around and fired a stream of electricity from its tail into the sky above Ryoga.

There was a slight pause, then the sky tore apart and lightning blasted from it into both Ryoga's Lancer and his set Trap, shattering both into golden shards. Ryoga flinched.

'Now, Thunder Spark Dragon! Attack Ryoga directly! _Storm Blast!_'

Ryoga pulled his vehicle to an angle, attempting to prevent the blast from doing too much damage, but it was ineffective as the serpent's electric breath collided with the vehicle, knocking it backwards and shocking him.

'To end,' stated Thunder Spark, 'I set a card, and activate the Continuous Spell, Spirit Converter.'

_This could be a lot harder than I was anticipating,_ mused Ryoga, scowling. _I've seen that Converter spell before, and if he survives three turns and I don't have a way of countering, then I'm finished._ His face twisted into a smirk. _But if I can beat him before then… that Number of his would make an excellent aid in my work._

'It's my turn, I draw!' declared Ryoga, glancing at the card he drew. 'I Summon Killer Frilled Shark! Then, because I Summoned a Fish-Type monster, I can Special Summon Shark Sucker! And with my two Level 3 monsters, I can construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Rise up, the terror of the air and sea, the Submersible Warship, Aero Shark!' Ryoga paused. 'In Defence Position.'

Thunder Spark nodded as the two conjoined sharks appeared beside Ryoga, and Ryoga frowned at him. _This guy… what the hell is he?_

'Well,' said Ryoga, 'now I'm activating Aero Shark's effect! By detaching an Xyz Material from it, I can inflict 400 damage to you for each card I have in my hand! And because I have two, you take 800 damage!'

From either side of Aero Shark, the creature fired a pair of missiles, which flew into Thunder Spark's vehicle, slowing it slightly, and causing one of its engines to begin softly whirring.

'Now,' finished Ryoga, 'I'll set a card and end!'

* * *

Yuma looked, startled, at the empty space where III had been. There was a slight pause, and around him the hospital began to slowly reappear, the missing chunks reforming out of thin air and the people within it materialising randomly.

'III…' whispered Yuma. 'Where did you go…'

'Presumably back to his brother,' replied Kaito. 'Hopefully, III's going to have the sense to not do what that psychopath tells him to, this time.'

'I wouldn't be so sure that IV's still alive,' interrupted Homura, and the two of them turned to her, startled. 'I mean, if III did go back to IV, then IV is almost certainly dead.'

'What do you mean?' asked Yuma.

'The soul of a Puella Magi,' stated Homura, 'such as myself or – more importantly in this circumstance, III – is held within their Soul Gem. Over time, this gem becomes tainted by darkness, especially if its owner is suffering from darker emotions such as the despair that III had felt. Ryoga said that these emotions were enhanced by the Numbers; combined with his own inner turmoil, it was amazing that he managed to hold out as long as he did.'

'What?' repeated Yuma.

'When a Soul Gem becomes totally black,' continued Homura, 'the soul is separated from its human body, and it transforms into a Grief Seed,' Homura paused, 'the heart of a witch. III is likely already beyond salvation, if he hasn't already transformed.'

'But… can't we reverse it…?' protested Yuma.

'I know of no process that can reverse the transformation of a Soul Gem into a Grief Seed. It is possible that Madoka would be able to perform it, but…' Homura glanced back at her friend, who was sitting a corner, holding her head and looking like she was slightly in pain.

'But what?' asked Kaito.

'Madoka has told me that some power has increasingly prevented her from being able to activate her powers, a product no doubt of her time with IV. It is always possible that IV's still intact seal could be causing her powers to be contained.'

'Except… you said IV's dead,' stated Kaito, and Homura nodded.

'That's correct,' she answered. 'His seal should die along with him, and at that point we'll be able to reverse the process and both Kyubey's and our actions here, and leave.'

'So now all we have to do is wait,' replied Kaito. Homura nodded.

'That's all we can do, if you want to save your friend,' answered Homura.

'Is there another alternative?' asked Kaito. 'I mean, if IV is still alive, it's going to be difficult to get past him.'

'I'm a Puella Magi,' replied Homura. 'I kill witches. III should require little to no effort at all.'

'We're not killing III!' interrupted Yuma. 'He's our friend! He might have made some mistakes, and he might have thought what he was doing was right, but he's still our friend and I'm not going to let you kill him if there's a way to heal him!'

Homura watched on, feeling a mixture of joy and pain. _This is just like when me and Kyoko fought Oktavia that last time._ She glanced back at Madoka, who was lying on the ground, eyes closed tightly. _Except if IV isn't dead, then it might still have the same ending._


	2. Chapter 2

IV opened his eyes.

Around him, the world was twisted and deformed, a bizarre mockery of the laws of physics. Above him, there was only darkness.

'Where the hell am I…?' he murmured, putting a hand on the ground to steady himself and missing it. He had a second to realise his mistake before his body tumbled over the edge of whatever platform he had been lying on; whatever it was, it had vanished as soon as he fell off it.

His body fell through the air, moving rapidly at some times and sluggishly at others, as if he were falling through pockets of water in the air. He twisted his body so that he could look down, and saw what appeared to be a volcanic island far below him, though getting increasingly larger and closer.

'This is going to hurt,' he muttered, before he collided with the ground on the island heavily, and lay unconscious once more in the shadow of the volcano.

* * *

Kotori ran through the corridors of Heartland Tower, expecting at any moment to be attacked.

'And a left…' she whispered, glancing at the instructions, 'and a right… another left…' She jumped around the corner and collided with a door, pushing it open and landing in a heap at the end of a bed.

She very carefully stood up and looked around the room. 'Someone must have heard that,' she whispered, before spinning to look at the bed's occupant.

Haruto was lying unconscious, connected to a series of machine by tubes plugged into every part of his body. She involuntarily gasped. 'Haruto…' she murmured.

'So _you're_ the intruder,' came a voice from the doorway, and Kotori turned to see a tall, purple-haired woman watching her austerely.

'You… you're the woman that Yuma duelled…' stuttered Kotori.

Droite nodded. 'I am,' she replied. 'I was told that someone had managed to slip by one of Heartland's,' she paused, '_amazingly competent_ guards, so I was sent to apprehend you.' Droite held out her hand to Kotori. 'Now, if you'll come with me?'

'No,' said Kotori. 'I was told by Kaito to rescue his brother, and that's what I'm going to do.'

Droite's eyes widened. 'You know where Kaito is?' she said, hurriedly.

'I do,' replied Kotori. 'But I can't tell you unless you let me bring Haruto to him.'

'If Haruto is moved he could die!' protested Droite.

Kotori looked the older woman right in the eye. 'I was told to do this by Kaito, and I think that if anyone would know what's best for Haruto's wellbeing, it would be him. And I'm not going without him, so there.'

Droite grabbed Kotori wrist and pulled her away from Haruto's bed. 'Don't interfere with things that aren't you concern!' she said.

Kotori kicked Droite in the leg, using that opportunity to run to the back of Haruto's bed and knock it away from the wall. It began to roll.

'Don't you–' started Droite, before being pushed out of the doorway by a flash of grey, and knocked into the wall.

'Cathy?' said Kotori, startled, as the other girl picked herself up from the ground.

'We thought you could use some help, nya,' replied Cathy, smiling.

'Isn't that one of the Duel Carnival supervisors, ura?' asked Tokunosuke from the doorway, before looking around hurriedly. 'I think we should be getting out of here!'

'Agreed,' said Kotori, pushing on Haruto's bed. It began to speed up, and she grabbed onto the back of it whilst Cathy grabbed Tokunosuke and held onto one side.

The bed rolled out of the door and began speeding through the corridors of Heartland Tower.

* * *

'It's my turn,' said Thunder Spark, wheeling his Speed Loader around another bend in his outdoor course. 'I draw, and Summon Electrode Beast Cation. Cation's effect allows me to Special Summon Electrode Beast Anion, whose effect in turn allows me to draw a card. Now, I attack your Aero Shark with my Thunder Spark Dragon! Go, _Storm Blast!_'

As Spark's dragon fired a blast of electricity at his monster, Ryoga smirked. 'Did you really think that I would leave myself defenceless?' he laughed. 'I activate the effect of the Killer Frilled Shark in my Graveyard, banishing it to negate your monster's attack!'

In front of Aero Shark appeared a small brown shark, which intercepted and absorbed the dragon's attack.

'Additionally,' continued Ryoga, 'Frilled Shark's second effect reduces the attack power of your dragon by 500!'

Spark's eyes narrowed slightly.

'I will set a card,' he said, 'and, during the End Phase, I can Tribute Electrode Beasts Anion and Cation to return one of Thunder Spark Dragon's Xyz Materials to it.'

'Then it's my turn!' replied Ryoga. 'I draw! Now, I activate Xyz Gift! Because there are two or more face-up Xyz Monsters, I can draw two cards, and that's the perfect opportunity to use Aero Shark's effect! I'll detach an Xyz Material from it, and inflict 1200 damage to you, bringing you down to 2000 Life Points!'

_I have him,_ thought Ryoga.

'Now, because I activated a Normal Spell Card this turn, I can Special Summon Big Jaws!' he declared. 'Now, I'll Normal Summon Drill Barnacle, and with these two Level 3 monsters I will construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! The piercing spear that destroys the darkness within human's hearts! Rise up, Black Ray Lancer!'

Beside Ryoga appeared an imposing black-armoured warrior.

'Now,' continued Ryoga, 'I activate my Lancer's effect, detaching an Xyz Material from it to negate your Thunder Spark Dragon's effects!'

The monster fired a wave of red at Spark's dragon, throwing it backwards. Thunder Spark's eyes narrowed.

'Now, I'll change Aero Shark to attack position! You're finished, Spark! Go, Black Ray Lancer! Destroy that Number! _Black Spear!_'

As Black Ray Lancer shot towards his dragon, Spark shook his head. 'That was a naïve move of you to make,' he said. 'I activate the trap, Dragon Booster! This increases my dragon's attack power by the 500 points your Shark took from it!'

'What?' cried Ryoga, as his Lancer's spear slashed at the dragon, missing it, and the dragon turned back and spat a ball of lightning at it, destroying Ryoga's Lancer and colliding with him.

'In that case…' muttered Ryoga, 'I'll set a card and end.'

_This is not good,_ he thought. _Only two more turns and my field's gone, and I still don't have a way of countering! As it is, I'm out of hand cards and I've got no way of getting new ones. If I don't get something within two turns, I'm finished._

* * *

IV awoke once more. Now, he was lying in the middle of a room that seemed to have been carved out of rock. On one wall was a massive elliptical window that looked out upon the twisted landscape outside.

'Where…' he muttered.

'Oh, don't worry about it,' came a voice from behind him, and he spun to see a tall red-haired woman dressed in white, smiling unpleasantly at him. 'It's not like anything matters to you anymore.'

'Who…' he stuttered.

'Again, don't worry about it,' she answered. 'The point is, I'm here to guide you.'

'Guide me where?' asked IV, cautious.

'My master wants to see you,' answered the woman, smirking. 'It sounded very urgent, which is why they sent me to come and get you.'

'And if I refuse to move?' replied IV. 'What makes you think that I'll go anywhere with someone I've never even met?'

The woman laughed, and grabbed IV by the leg, toppling him. She proceeded to turn and, still dragging the hapless IV by the leg, walked out of the room and into a thin brown-walled corridor.

'Did you think you had a choice?' she mocked, letting go of IV, and he picked himself up, frowning.

'Of course I did, there's always a choice,' replied IV, before pointing his right hand towards her. There was a blast of purple from his seal, which collided with–

A glittering green orb surrounded the woman, who looked at IV's attack bemusedly as it was absorbed by her shield. IV froze.

'What?' he whispered.

'Now, if you'll come with me,' continued the woman, 'my master would like to see you.'

From her hand emerged a series of green strings which wrapped around IV, and she strode down the corridor, IV being dragged in her wake.


	3. Chapter 3

Kaito and Yuma were duelling with the Duel Table once more, only this time with the two spare Decks that Kaito had for reasons he wouldn't go into.

'…and because I activated Drastic Drop-off,' stated Kaito, 'I can draw a card from Artemis' effect.'

'You discard one of my cards and you draw a card?' moaned Yuma. 'Kaito, your cards are too powerful!'

'Don't you whine at me, Yuma, you're using Agents!' snapped Kaito.

'Can you please just shut it with the card games?' interrupted Homura. 'It's been almost half an hour, and still Madoka's condition hasn't changed. If anything, it seems to be getting worse!'

'Well, what do you suggest we do about it?' replied Kaito. 'We don't know where IV is or even if your theory is correct. So how would you recommend we go about changing this situation, huh?'

'I don't know!' cried Homura. 'I just feel helpless sitting here! We should be out doing something, trying to find him!'

'IV will be protected by a Reti field, you know this,' replied Kaito. 'If he's alive, he'll be protected, and that makes it difficult for us to assault him even if we did know where he is. And the only person who knows anything about IV has disappeared!'

'Hey guys?' interrupted Yuma, who was holding his D-Gazer. 'You might want to listen to this.'

* * *

'Yuma!' yelled Kotori into her Gazer. 'I need some sort of distraction to get us out of Heartland!'

'Okay…' replied Yuma, startled. 'Why can't you just sneak out like you snuck in?'

The bed collided with a wall and rebounded down another corridor, making a loud clanging noise as it did.

'It's a bit late for that,' answered Kotori. 'Any help would be–'

The bed jolted, throwing her D-Gazer to the ground behind the speeding bed. Kotori cursed under her breath, and Cathy and Tokunosuke looked at her, startled.

Kotori opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by another voice, coming from the bed's occupant.

'Nii-sama?' whispered Haruto, looking around. 'Where are you, nii-sama?'

'Uh…' replied Kotori, looking upside-down over him. 'He's… he's coming, Haruto.'

'Birdy girl,' said Haruto, and Cathy giggled. 'Where's nii-sama, birdy girl?'

'He's coming,' repeated Kotori. 'You've just got to– _hold on!_'

The bed slammed into a wall, stopping it abruptly. Haruto fell forwards, colliding with Kotori's nose and knocking her off the bed. Cathy let go of the bed too, and she sighed.

'They'll still be coming after us,' said Kotori, glancing down the corridors, but there was nobody in sight.

'Relax, ura,' said Tokunosuke. 'They can't possibly know where we are, we were going too quickly.'

Kotori pointed upwards at a small black hemisphere in the ceiling. 'Trust me,' she replied. 'They know where we are.'

There was a crack, and a bullet sliced past her face and into the wall. She froze.

'You were fast,' said Gauche, walking towards the group and holding a nasty looking pistol, 'I'll give you that. But you're not getting away, _especially_ after what you did to Droite.'

Kotori, Cathy and Tokunosuke stared back at him, motionless.

'Now, if you hand over Haruto,' continued Gauche, 'I might just let you off with a warning. Otherwise…' He smirked.

'Gauche,' said a voice from behind him, and he spun to see Kaito, with Orbital 7 wheeling behind him. 'Give me my brother.'

'Kaito,' replied Gauche, and fired at him.

The gun clicked uselessly in his hand, and he stared at it. Kaito smirked.

'In this field,' stated Kaito, 'where time moves at one-twenty-thousandth of its regular speed, we cannot do anything that does not involve duelling. And we both know how _that_ would turn out. So I repeat. _Give. Me. My. __**Brother.**_'

Gauche's eyes narrowed. 'You think we would let you come in here, and you could just expect to walk out with Haruto?'

'Of course not,' answered Kaito. 'I was expecting to have to break into here, and then just walk out with Haruto. So far, everything's going according to plan.'

'Like hell it is!' yelled Gauche, leaping at Kaito angrily. Kaito neatly side-stepped, causing Gauche to collide with the ground heavily. Kaito looked down at him.

'Gauche,' he said, 'you're going to leave me alone now. Or else I'll have to stop you by force.'

'Like you could,' replied Gauche.

Kaito's eyes narrowed, and he held out his right hand. It began to fill with red energy, transforming into a crackling red orb. Gauche's eyes widened.

'You're going to leave me alone now,' repeated Kaito, and Gauche nodded dumbly. The energy in his hand disappeared.

Kaito turned around and walked over the bed where his brother was lying, frozen. He then grabbed the bed and began to slowly wheel it away, Orbital following him.

Gauche cursed, and walked away, leaving time to unfreeze and for Kotori, Cathy and Tokunosuke to wonder where both Haruto and he had vanished to.

* * *

'It's my turn!' declared Tetsuo. 'I draw, and then during my Standby Phase, both my Clockwork Catapult and Automated Machine get a Clockwork Counter!' Tetsuo looked up at Corn's huge ship. 'Now,' he continued, 'I activate Monster Reborn, allowing to revive my Tinplate Archduke! And, I'll remove the three Clockwork Counters from my Automated Machine to Special Summon Clockwork Shikigami, in Defence Position!'

On either side of Tetsuo his two monsters appeared, and Corn smirked.

'You've still not got the power to defeat me Black Corn,' he mocked, 'especially when its power is boosted by my Giant Tacorn! So show me all you're worth, boy!'

'I was planning to! I activate Clockwork Shikigami's effect, reducing the attack power of your Black Corn to 0 until the End Phase!'

'Arr, but it still retains the boost given to it by Giant Tacorn!' replied Corn.

'I activate the effect of my Clockwork Catapult, removing the Clockwork Counter from it to increase my Tinplate Archduke's attack power by 500! Now go, Tinplate Archduke! Attack Black Corn!'

'I activate the effect of me Corn Parade!' interrupted Corn. 'Once, whilst it remains face-up, I can negate an attack on a Plant-Type "Corn" monster – such as Black Corn!'

Tetsuo was startled as a scarecrow emerged from the ground in front of his Archduke, blocking its attack.

'Damn…' he muttered. 'I–'

'I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card!' interrupted Takashi. 'Enemy Controller! By paying 1000 Life Points and activating the right code, I can take control of an opponent's monster. And the monster I choose is your Clockwork Shikigami, Tetsuo!'

'Why would you take control of your allies weakest monster?' mocked Corn.

'Code activate, up, down, left, right, B, A!' cried Takashi, and beside him a massive controller appeared, and Shikigami vanished from Tetsuo's field and reappeared beside Takashi. 'Now, I activate my second Trap, Bug Switch! By changing Shikigami to Attack Position, I can banish the three Bugmen from my Graveyard and Summon Super Bugman from my Deck in Defence Position!'

As the monster appeared behind Takashi, Tetsuo punched the air. 'Nice going, Class Rep!' he yelled.

'Whilst Super Bugman is on the field, the Attack and Defence of all Attack Position monsters is switched!'

'Eh… what?' cried Tetsuo. 'That makes my Archduke have only 1200 Attack Points, but gives his both 4000!'

'Final Trap!' declared Takashi. 'Crush Card! By Tributing Clockwork Shikigami, I can destroy all monsters in my opponent's hand and field with more than 1500 Attack Points! To summarise, because the Attack and Defence of all the monsters is switched, Tetsuo's monsters are safe, but yours are destroyed!'

'What?' yelled Corn, as Clockwork Shikigami was transformed into a cluster of black orbs, which then smashed into his monsters, blowing them apart. 'My… my Corn…' he whispered.

'Go smash him, Class Rep!' cried Tetsuo, and Takashi nodded.

'It's my turn, I draw! I change Super Bugman to Attack Position, and then I activate the effect of the Electric Virus in my hand, discarding it to take control of Tetsuo's Tinplate Archduke! Now go, Super Bugman, attack directly! _Bug Crusher!_'

The massive pixelated monster behind Takashi raised its fist, then slowly brought it down onto Corn, knocking him to the ground.

'Now I attack directly with Tinplate Archduke! Go, Archduke's Finishing Blow!'

The mechanical warrior swung its sword as Corn, throwing him backwards and into the ground.

'How dare you!' he roared, as around the trio the AR dispersed. 'I… I'm going to…' He raised a fist.

'Corn,' interrupted a second voice from behind Takashi and Tetsuo, and they spun to see a tall man in green walking towards them.

'Mr… Mr Heartland-sama…' the two of them whispered.

'They won honourably, Corn,' continued Heartland. 'You will not disgrace their victory. Hand over your Number and come with me, you are needed at the finals.'

Corn glared back at him, but took the card from his Graveyard and handed it to Takashi. 'Enjoy your curse,' he muttered under his breath, before walking away.

Heartland smirked. 'Now get out of here before I change my mind,' he ordered, and Takashi and Tetsuo turned and ran away.

'You let them leave, even with my Number?' asked Corn, as Heartland approached.

'Orders of Dr. Faker,' replied Heartland. 'They will serve as a part of a message to the Astral messenger. Anyway, now that Kaito has gone rogue, I need you to keep an eye on the Carnival. Gauche and Droite are soon to be occupied in filling in Kaito's position.'

'And if Kaito does return to us?'

'Kaito no longer has any use to us,' answered Heartland. 'He has shown himself, in the end, to be untrustworthy. If he returns…' Heartland smirked. '…then he will be stopped.'

* * *

The woman threw IV bodily at the foot of a seat.

He looked up into the deranged face of his younger brother, and he gulped.

'Hello, nii-kun,' said III. 'How've you been?'

'Where the hell am I, III?' cried IV.

'You're inside my head, nii-kun,' replied III, smirking. 'Your seal was stopping me from killing you properly, so I decided I would drive you insane instead.'

'You're not doing a very good job of it so far,' commented IV.

'Aren't I?' said III, raising his right arm. IV arm was dragged into the air, as if by invisible strings.

'What are you doing, III?' yelled IV.

'We wanted revenge,' mused III. 'It seemed so important. And I'm going to let you achieve that. You're going to be my speaker on the outside, and you're going to tell Dr. Faker that this is the revenge of the Tron Family, and that he is powerless to stop us!'

'III…' whispered IV.

'I am no longer III,' replied the creature. 'I have transcended simple humanity. I am the witch Tres Tantibus, and you are my little puppet, nii-kun.'

IV nodded weakly, and Tres Tantibus laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

Ryoga sped his vehicle around another building as Thunder Spark Dragon loomed downwards, sliding his Loader past a pair of buildings.

'I attack your Aero Shark with Thunder Spark Dragon!' declared Thunder Spark. 'Go, Storm Blast!'

'Not so fast!' replied Ryoga, as behind him Thunder Spark Dragon opened its mouth to charge its attack. 'I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Command Silencer! This negates your attack, ends the Battle Phase, and allows me to draw a card!'

'You dodged,' remarked Thunder Spark, as his dragon's attack hit an invisible barrier and faded. 'And you've got one card set and one card in your hand. Do you think you can win with those?'

'I know I can,' answered Ryoga.

'You have a turn to prove it,' said Thunder Spark. 'During the End Phase, I Tribute my two Thunder Seahorses to return Thunder Spark Dragon's third Xyz Material to it. I end.'

'It's my turn then!' cried Ryoga. 'I… draw!' He glanced at the card he drew and smirked. _Perfect._ 'First,' he continued, 'I activate my set Trap, Depth Charge! By sending a Fish-Type monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, I can add another Fish-Type monster with the same attack power and Level as that monster from my Deck to my hand! I send Hammer Shark and add the Deep-Sea King Devil Shark!'

'Futile,' replied Thunder Spark.

'Oh yeah?' answered Ryoga. 'Well, all the pieces I need are in place! I've got three Level 4 monsters just waiting to be brought up, and best of all, in your attempt to defeat me, _I've gotten the lead!_'

Thunder Spark looked startled, as he noticed that Ryoga had indeed managed to drive in front of him during Thunder Spark Dragon's attack.

'I Normal Summon Devil Shark and Depth Kraken with Speed Duel rules!' declared Ryoga. 'Then, I activate the Spell Card, Surface, to revive my Hammer Shark! And now, with these three Level 4 monsters I construct the Overlay Network!'

Behind Ryoga appeared a huge spiralling galaxy, and the three monsters were sucked into it.

'Xyz Summon! The deep sea king, with overwhelming powers from the depths! Use your fangs to destroy everything in sight! Appear now, the embodiment of my power! Number 32! Marine Biting Dragon! _Shark Drake!_'

Behind Ryoga appeared a massive red monstrosity that loomed over him, and he smirked nastily as his eyes blazed purple.

'Now,' continued Ryoga, 'I attack Thunder Spark Dragon with Shark Drake! Go, _Depth Bite!_'

The huge red creature threw a huge wave of white at Thunder Spark Dragon which tore it apart, before the attack collided with Thunder Spark.

'I still have 1600 Life Points,' said Thunder Spark, 'whilst you have a mere 500. I think this duel is over.'

'Of course it is,' replied Ryoga, smiling nastily. 'I activate Shark Drake's ability, detaching Depth Kraken from it to revive your Thunder Spark Dragon to your side of the field and decrease its attack power by 1000! Additionally, when Depth Kraken is sent to the Graveyard as an Xyz Material, the Xyz Monster that detached it gains 1000 attack points!'

As Thunder Spark's dragon appeared weakened beside him, and Ryoga's was enhanced by a deep black aura, Spark bowed his head.

_I have lost,_ he thought. _I am sorry, Dr. Faker-sama._

'_Go, Shark Drake!_' yelled Ryoga, and his eyes were filled with glowing purple flames. '_Destroy his dragon for the second time!_ _DEPTH BITE!_'

* * *

Kaito finally stopped, several blocks from Heartland, in an alleyway. He placed Haruto carefully onto the ground, then motioned to Orbital, who nodded. Around them, time began to flow freely again.

'Congratulations on retrieving your brother,' said a voice from behind him, and he turned to see Homura, Madoka slumped against the wall behind her, almost unconscious. 'Did you have any plans for what you were going to do with him now?'

'I didn't–' started Kaito, but was interrupted by Madoka coughing and looking weakly up at him.

'You're dying,' she stated. 'Both of you. Your powers come with a heavy toll, and your body can no longer bear it.'

'How does she know that?' asked Kaito.

'Madoka knows what's in people's hearts,' replied Homura, but Madoka waved at her to speak.

'I can help you,' she whispered. 'Before I lose myself, I will help you.'

'What?' said Kaito, startled, before Madoka leapt off the wall with a surprising energy and grabbed both Kaito and Haruto by the forehead. She smiled weakly.

'Don't worry,' she whispered feebly, before her entire body began glowing with a massive pink light.

Kaito's eyes widened and he felt like a part of him was being torn off of him and dragged into Madoka's hand. Beside him, Haruto was thrashing about painfully. The two of them screamed simultaneously.

Madoka's eyes flashed red, before returning to their usual pink. The light around her faded, and she let go of Kaito and Haruto, falling backwards onto the wall. Her eyes shut.

'That's going to attract some attention,' commented Homura, picking up the unconscious Madoka and placing her over her shoulder. 'Come on, we should get out of here before someone recognizes that signal.'

There was a thud, and she turned to see Kaito and Haruto also lying unconscious. She turned to look at Orbital.

'I'll take the kid, and you can take Kaito,' she said.

'Don't call Haruto-sama "the kid"!' replied Orbital angrily.

'Fine,' said Homura, picking up Haruto and placing him over her other shoulder. 'I promise I'll be a lot nicer when he stops being passed out and I don't have to carry him.'

She grabbed onto Orbital's head, and around them time froze.

* * *

Heartland arrived at Thunder Spark's location shortly after Ryoga left.

'This is beginning to get irritating,' he commented, as he looked over the stunned Spark and his shattered Speed Loader. 'Spark, your Number?'

'Taken,' replied Spark. 'By Ryoga Kamishiro.'

'Ryoga Kamishiro, you say?' said Heartland, raising an eyebrow. 'That's interesting.'

'I am sorry to have failed you,' said Spark.

'Oh, don't worry about it,' answered Heartland. 'For now, I need you–'

He was interrupted by a massive shockwave emerging from the downtown area, and he spun to see a massive pillar of blackness emerge from the cluster of buildings and pierce through the sky. Around it shone an unnatural red light.

'What the hell…' whispered Heartland.

* * *

Homura froze just outside the abandoned building she and Orbital were planning to take refuge in, and looked along the length of it. She could see a tiny flash of red.

In an instant, she was standing atop the building, looking at the huge black pillar that was emerging from the ground across town, around it a flickering circle of red energy.

'III…' she whispered. 'That's a bit larger than I expected.'

She looked down at the red seal around it, and frowned. 'What seal is that?' she mused. 'It's not III's. It…' Her eyes widened as she remembered when she had seen it, for a split second on the hand of the possessed III. 'Impossible…'

There was a sudden booming noise from the huge witch that sent a shockwave through the building, shattering its windows, and then a mocking laugh.

'Hello, Heartland!' echoed IV's voice across the city. 'Didja miss me?'

* * *

Ryoga, driving away in his D-Wheel, having abandoned Yuma's friends, glanced towards the pillar of darkness as IV's voice boomed across the city.

'You see, I was out for little bit,' he was saying, 'but now I'm back, and have _I_ got some news for all for you! You see,' and he laughed insanely, 'you're all going to die! Sorry to give you so little warning, but, you see, I've been out for a little bit. You see, I've got this big revenge dealy going on with your boss, Heartland, and his boss, Dr. Faker, and so yeah, I'm gonna have to kill everyone in the city unless Faker himself, in all his glory, emerges from whatever hole he's hidden himself in, and then I'll kill _him_! I know, it sounds wonderful! Anyway, once that's done, who knows? I might just go attack some other city instead, it might all be for nothing, who knows? You see, me and this witch, it's called Tres by the way, say hello Tres, nope, anyway, me and Tres, we decided that I would be better off if I got rid of all these pesky notions about the world that I had before, and now life is all better! You see…'

Ryoga tapped the sides of his helmet, and they expanded into small airbags that filled his ears, so he didn't have to hear IV's deranged nattering. Then, with a smirk, he drove through the panicking city towards the witch Tres Tantibus.

'I'm coming for you, IV,' muttered Ryoga, and his eyes blazed with violet fire.


	5. Chapter 5

Yuma was sitting in his hospital room, going through his cards, when his friends arrived.

'Yuma!' cried Kotori. 'We thought something horrible had happened to you, and…'

'…and we would have visited earlier, nya,' interrupted Cathy, 'but Ryoga wanted our help to rescue Kaito's brother…'

'…which we did, ura,' said Tokunosuke, 'though with no help from these two, but…'

'…to summarise, he went missing whilst we were still in Heartland!' cried Takashi. 'He was there one second, and gone the next…'

'…though we didn't know that,' said Tetsuo, 'since we were duelling this really weird guy. He had a Number, too, but…'

'…when they won it,' stated Kotori, taking a large box from her bag, 'I made them put it in here so that it wouldn't possess them.'

Yuma took the Number from his box and examined it. '"Black Corn"?' he asked, startled.

'The guy who owned it was this sort of corn pirate,' explained Tetsuo. 'So…'

'…to summarise, the Number must have shaped itself by him, which is why it is like it is,' concluded Takashi.

'And where's Ryoga?' asked Yuma. 'You said he went with you.'

The group shifted uneasily. 'The last time we saw Ryoga, nya,' said Cathy, 'he was duelling another Number holder. Then, we decided to go find Kotori. We haven't heard from him since.'

'I'm sure he's fine,' laughed Yuma. 'Ryoga's too tough to be taken down by a normal Number holder.'

'Maybe…' mused Cathy. 'Though that Number he had was very powerful.'

'Hey, don't worry,' said Yuma. 'I'm sure Ryoga can handle it. Right now, we need to find–'

There was a flicker, and Homura collapsed onto Yuma's bed, exhausted, whilst Orbital placed Kaito's unconscious body on the ground next to where Madoka's and Haruto's had spontaneously appeared.

'–Haruto,' finished Yuma weakly. 'What happened to you guys?'

'Nothing happened,' replied Homura, looking up at him. 'I just had to carry these two,' she gestured to Madoka and Haruto, 'for about two hours.'

'You… haven't even been gone two hours?' stuttered Yuma.

'I can stop time, remember?' answered Homura. 'But anyway, about your friend, III… there may be a bit of a problem with that. IV… is inside that witch's seal.'

'How did he get in there?' asked Yuma, startled.

'He was presumably absorbed by it,' stated Homura. 'The more important question is _how_ is he still alive in there?'

'Could it be the seal?' interrupted Kotori. 'Because that stopped them from losing their souls when Kaito tried to take their Numbers.'

'That's probably it,' mused Homura.

'So all we have to do is get in there and knock out his seal!' cried Yuma.

'…you want us to go into a witch's barrier and attempt to attack someone deep inside it?' replied Homura. 'For a witch like that, we'd have to operate so as to not attract its attention, which is almost impossible.'

'Then we'll just blast our way through it!' yelled Yuma. 'Come on, we can do this!'

'You've never even seen a witch–' started Homura.

'We can do this, guys!' said Yuma. 'Come on, let's go rescue III!'

As Yuma and his friends ran out of the room, Homura glanced at the unconscious Madoka, Kaito and Haruto, then looked at Orbital.

'Make sure they're safe,' she ordered, before vanishing.

* * *

Ryoga's bike pierced the edge of the witch's barrier, a red pinprick against the ever-growing wall of black.

It flew through, and landed on the other side. Ryoga looked around at the distorted landscape around him.

'Where are you, IV?' he muttered.

'IV?' interrupted another voice, and he turned to see a short, brown-haired man dressed in red. 'Ah, you're here to fight him? I'll go and bring you to him.' The man gestured towards a black rectangle that had just appeared beside him. 'Come on, he's in here.'

Ryoga stepped through the doorway, and arrived on one corner of a massive rectangular platform that hung precariously above a seemingly bottomless gap, supported by four thin black cords. Across from his corner, a man sat hunched, his white clothes tattered and his eyes filled with blood. Around him shone a weakly glowing red circle.

'IV,' stated Ryoga, and his enemy looked up at him weakly.

'Ryoga,' he muttered in response, slowly standing. 'How nice of you to turn up. I assume you're here for your misguided revenge.'

'How is my revenge in any way misguided?' roared Ryoga angrily. 'You are responsible for every horrible thing that has ever happened to me! You hospitalized my sister, you sabotaged my future, and you've put one of my only friends through hell! How is that misguided?'

'You still think that any of that matters,' laughed IV. 'Nothing matters. Reality is a meaningless mess, and as soon as you submit to Tres Tantibus, you'll discover that.'

'He hasn't absorbed me yet,' replied Ryoga. 'So he wants me alive. That gives me a purpose. So IV, how about we duel now. I've been waiting for a while.'

IV laughed. 'Alright, Shark,' he answered. 'Maybe if I beat you, you'll understand how meaningless all of this really is.'

Ryoga's eyes narrowed. 'I'm going to destroy you,' he muttered, and his body was surrounded by a deep purple aura. He threw his Duel Disk onto his arm, where it unfolded, whilst he placed his Gazer over his eye. On IV's side of the field, he was consumed by a red light, before reappearing with a black marking around his left eye, and a bizarre golden Duel Disk shone on his arm.

'That's new,' commented Ryoga.

'Allow me to bring you into madness,' laughed IV, as around them the distorted reality flickered as the AR activated.

'Duel!' cried the two.

'My turn first!' declared IV. 'I activate the Field Spell, Gimmick Zone!'

Around the pair, the world was replaced by a massive factory, but almost a mockery of one. The gears all stared down at Ryoga with empty black eyes, whilst puppets were being built and they watched Ryoga from the slots into which they were placed. Below him, there was heat, and he glanced down to see that the previously bottomless pit now had an unnatural red light at the bottom of it.

'Now,' continued IV, 'I Summon Gimmick Puppet – Broken Girl in Attack Position!'

Beside him appeared a young girl in bandages, confined to a wheelchair. Her single visible eye stared at Ryoga balefully, and his eyes narrowed.

'You… scum…' muttered Ryoga.

'Broken Girl cannot be Summoned in Defence Position,' continued IV. 'Nor can she be set. However, during my opponent's turn, I can discard a Machine-Type monster to change her to Defence Position. I end.'

_IV…_ mused Ryoga. _Using a copy of my sister to protect yourself… that's despicable, even for you._

'It's your move, Sharky!' laughed IV. 'You'd better go before the magma comes up!'

'What?' cried Ryoga, glancing down once more. The red light seemed to have grown slightly.

'As our battle progresses,' stated IV, 'that magma will tear up through the ground, consuming everything until finally, there is nothing left of us but mere particles! So you'd better go fast, Sharky, time's running up!'

Ryoga scowled. 'Dammit,' he muttered. 'The one time I really need to think clearly.'

'You don't want to keep your sister waiting, do you?' continued IV mockingly.

'How dare you!' roared Ryoga. 'I Summon Spiked Sunfish, and then because I Summoned a Fish-Type monster, I can Special Summon Shark Sucker! And with these monsters I will construct the Overlay Network! Come forth, Aero Shark!'

Behind Ryoga appeared the two sharks, conjoined by the orange machinery.

'I activate Aero Shark's effect,' continued Ryoga, 'detaching Shark Sucker from it to inflict 400 damage to you for each card in my hand! So, you'll take 1600 damage, IV!'

As the torpedoes flew towards him, IV laughed. 'Broken Girl's effect activates!' he declared. 'When I take effect damage, my opponent takes that same amount of damage! Now we're both sharing the pain, Ryoga!'

Broken Girl's eye flashed, and a beam of blue struck from her eye into Ryoga's chest. He stumbled backwards, almost falling over the edge of the platform.

'In that case,' muttered Ryoga, 'I attack Broken Girl with Aero Shark! Go, Big Eater!'

As the two sharks descended towards the girl, IV smirked. 'I didn't think you were actually going to attack,' commented IV. 'I activate Broken Girl's effect, discarding Gimmick Puppet – Necro Doll to change her to Defence Position, thus making your attack ineffective and dealing you damage instead!'

A blue sphere surrounded Broken Girl, and Aero Shark collided with it, before recoiling backwards and slamming into Ryoga, who was flung backwards and almost fell over the corner of the platform. Above him, the thin wires creaked unhealthily.

_This place is a death-trap,_ thought Ryoga. _IV's actually trying very hard to kill me. Not to mention the fact that in here, his monster seem to inflict actual damage._

'Well,' said Ryoga, 'in that case, I'll set three cards and end my turn.'

* * *

As Homura walked past the frozen figures of Yuma and his friends, she paused.

'Determination,' she mused. 'He's cheerful and hopeful, and yet his character is built on his sheer determination.' She smiled softly. 'You remind me of a girl I knew,' she said softly. 'But I can't let you get involved with this. I'm sorry.'

After a few minutes she walked off, leaving Yuma and his friends locked in the half-built building she and Orbital had stopped in earlier.

'Now then,' she muttered, looking at the advancing wall of darkness ahead of her and holding a pair of guns in each hand, 'let's see how hard I can hit you before you start hitting back.'


	6. Chapter 6

The being that was Tres Tantibus was not actually sitting in the tall throne deep within its floating fortress. The fortress itself and everything around it was a part of him, but a part of it still felt itself to be human, and acted as such.

The people around him were also parts of him, but he enjoyed their interaction. A part of him was still fighting against his transformation into a witch, but once it began it could not be undone.

'Look at nii-kun,' commented Tres, watching through one of his eyes the battle between IV and Ryoga. 'He's fighting so hard for me. It's a pity that he's going to be able to stay around for longer.'

'His seal is wearing down rapidly,' concurred the red-haired woman beside him. 'It shouldn't be long before it breaks down completely. Even the power of the Balian World is no longer a match for you.'

Tres laughed. 'Of course not,' he said. 'After all, I'm just trying to make everyone happy. Even nii-kun understands that.'

There was a sudden tearing feeling all through his head, and around him the room flickered as Tres collapsed, clutching his forehead. 'What the hell… was that…' he muttered.

* * *

The third missile collided with the wall of darkness, and again it splintered and dissipated. It was slowly repairing itself, but Homura would be able to reach its core before it could.

'Four and five, off,' she commented, as time temporarily unfroze and she fired two more missile from the huge launcher beside her at the witch. It recoiled and a massive white hole appeared in the middle of it, in the centre of which shone something green.

There was a flash, and a glowing green symbol flew from the hole into her, knocking her backwards. The darkness extended, wrapping itself around her, and she felt her breath go short.

'I can't…' she gasped. 'I can't breathe…'

There was horrific laughter from around her, and a group of deformed, skeletal creatures surrounded her, silver hands outstretched, their head a bare nub.

'I can't…' she whispered.

There was a sudden flash of gold, and two of the creatures vanished. She felt her lungs open again and she breathed.

There was another flash, this time blue, and the other creatures were annihilated in an instant. She turned to see their source, only to see Yuma standing there, standing in front of a tall golden warrior and a long blue dragon.

'But…' she whispered.

'Come on,' said Yuma, grabbing her, 'we've gotta save III! Come on, come on!'

'How did you…'

Yuma grinned. 'My friends helped me get out. We thought you could use the help.'

'But… this is dangerous!' protested Homura. 'How the hell did you even stop them with… cards?'

'You fight cards with cards,' said Yuma. 'Those things that were attacking you were some of III's monsters. Now, come on, we've got to help III!'

Homura sighed, and followed the boy deeper into the witch's barrier. 'We're going to regret this,' she muttered.

* * *

'My turn, Ryoga!' crowed IV. 'I activate the effect of Gimmick Zone! During my Draw Phase, in place of my regular draw, I can add a "Gimmick Puppet" monster from my Deck to my hand with the Level of a "Gimmick Puppet" in my Graveyard! I only have the Level 8 "Necro Doll" in my Graveyard, so I think I'll bring out another copy of her!'

A flash of violet light appeared above IV and descended into his hand. His seal flashed, and he smirked.

'Now,' he continued, 'I activate Level Cross, discarding Necro Doll to double Broken Girl's Level!'

'Here it comes,' muttered Ryoga.

'And then, I'll banish one copy of Necro Doll from my Graveyard to Special Summon the other one! And with these two monsters, Ryoga, I'm going to show you your fate, and the fate of every human on this planet! Xyz Summon! Rise forth, _Number 15! Gimmick Puppet – Giant Killer!_ And now, I'll activate Giant Killer's effect! I detach an Xyz Material to destroy your Aero Shark and inflict damage to you equal to its attack power!'

'Not so fast, IV!' replied Ryoga. 'Trap activate! Super Water Pressure! I Tribute my Aero Shark to draw a card, and so your Giant Killer's effect loses its target!'

Strings emerged from the giant puppet's hands, spiralling towards Aero Shark, which disappeared in a flash of blue. The strings continued and collided with Ryoga, pulling him to the ground before disappearing.

'You… bastard… IV…' muttered Ryoga, slowly standing. 'I'll activate… the effect… of Spiked Sunfish! When it's sent to the Graveyard, your monster's attack power is reduced by 500!'

IV frowned, irritated, as his puppet was surrounded by white spikes. 'A shame,' he muttered. 'But even weakened, my Giant Killer still has nothing standing between it and you! Go, Giant Killer! _Final Dance!_'

A whip emerged from its arm, and it swung the whip, knocking Ryoga back and almost off the platform again. The whip tore past him again, slicing into the support cable beside him, shearing it apart. The platform creaked and sloped downwards.

_IV…_ mused Ryoga. _He's actually trying to kill me. I need to stop him from attacking me._

'With that,' concluded IV, 'I'll set a card and end.'

'My turn!' cried Ryoga. 'I draw!' He glanced at his card, and smirked. _Useful._ 'I activate Card of Variation, drawing two cards! And, because I activated a Normal Spell Card, I can Special Summon Big Jaws! And now, I Normal Summon Killer Frilled Shark!' Ryoga laughed. '_This_ is my fate, IV! I'm going to crush you! With these two monsters, I construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Appear now, the warrior of the deep who destroys the darkness within people's hearts! _Black Ray Lancer!_'

As the monster appeared beside him, Ryoga laughed again. 'My fate is your defeat, IV!' he repeated. 'First, I activate Xyz Gift, drawing two cards, and then I activate Lancer's effect, detaching Killer Frilled Shark from it to negate your Giant Killer's effect! Now go, Lancer! Attack and destroy that accursed puppet! _Darkness Spear!_'

Lancer leapt towards the puppet, stabbing it through the chest. It began to break apart, before finally shattering apart in a massive cloud of dust, as Lancer returned to Ryoga's side. Ryoga smirked, but his smile faded as he saw a bizarre flat shape appearing above IV's head.

'When I take Battle Damage,' intoned IV, 'with the trap Gimmick Box, I can negate that damage and Special Summon it as a monster with the same attack power as the damage it negated.'

Ryoga cursed. 'You're like a worm, IV,' he muttered. 'I'll end, and during the End Phase Card of Variation's effect activates! I will take 3000 damage!'

A massive black sphere began to slowly materialise above him, but he smiled. 'I activate Kick Back Life! When I would take damage during my turn, I can instead gain Life Points equal to the damage I would take!'

A burst of blue emerged from Ryoga's trap, surrounding the black orb and turning it a silvery colour. It descended onto Ryoga, and he grinned as his Life Points increased.

'I've got 4300 Life Points now, IV,' remarked Ryoga. 'It's your move.'

* * *

Yuma and Homura walked slowly through the witch's barrier, which twisted and distorted itself around them.

'What are we looking for?' asked Yuma.

'We're either looking for IV,' replied Homura, 'or for the witch itself. If we can't find IV, then I'm afraid we're going to have to…'

Yuma paled. 'I'm not going to do that III,' he said. 'I'm sure we can fix him.'

There was a laugh from up ahead. 'And what makes you think I need _fixing_?' crowed the voice. Out of the shadows emerged III – or at least it _looked_ like III. Its eyes, though, were red, as opposed to III's green. 'I'm doing perfectly well on my own, I don't need to be _fixed_.'

'III…' whispered Yuma, but was pushed out of the way by Homura.

'So you understand me,' said Homura. 'Well then, I'll make it perfectly simple. You give III back, and then I might not kill you.'

'You can't kill me,' mocked Tres. 'There's nothing in this world that can kill me. You're helpless.'

Behind him, a massive dark form began to solidify, and suddenly a huge monster appeared, looming over the two.

'That's…' whispered Yuma, recognising it.

'End them,' ordered Tres, before dissipating into mist. Atlanthal threw its molten fist towards them, but Homura dodged it, pulling Yuma aside as she did. The creature turned towards her far more quickly than she had expected, pushing its fist towards them again.

'Hope!' yelled Yuma, and the golden warrior appeared before them, intercepting Atlanthal's blow and knocking the monstrosity backwards, before disappearing into gold mist.

'That wasn't as useful as I was hoping,' muttered Homura, but Yuma grinned.

'Summon, Number 61 – Volcasaurus!' declared Yuma, and there was a thud as behind him the huge dinosaur descended onto the ground. 'Go, destroy Atlanthal! _Magmax!_'

From each of the dinosaur's shoulders, a burst of lava emerged, slamming into Atlanthal and blasting through its chest. Atlanthal toppled over and burst into gold.

'That was easy,' said Yuma, before a blast of black light tore through Volcasaurus, ripping it apart. The two of them turned to see Tres once more, red eyes shining.

'I'm going to tear you apart,' he muttered angrily. 'I'm going to destroy you, and everything you have ever known.'

'III!' cried Yuma. 'Stop it! You aren't a monster!'

'I am not III!' roared Tres. 'III was too weak, and he succumbed to the darkness in his heart, and from his weakness I was born! I am the strongest witch, Tres Tantibus! Now _stop calling me III!_'

Homura blinked as she watched a tear roll down III's face, and her eyes narrowed, startled. _What sort of a witch are you, "Tres Tantibus"?_ she mused.

* * *

'My turn!' declared IV. 'Gimmick Zone's effect activates, adding a Gimmick Puppet from my Deck to my hand in place of my regular draw! I add Spider's Web! And now I'll activate Gimmick Zone's second effect, banishing Broken Girl from my Graveyard and discarding Spider's Web to add Necro Doll from my Graveyard to my hand! Now, I activate Spider's Web's effect, discarding Necro Doll to Special Summon itself!' IV laughed insanely. 'With these two Dark monsters, I construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! The divine being that judges the fates of those it faces! Descend, Number 40! _Gimmick Puppet – Heaven's Strings!_'

As the monster appeared behind IV, Ryoga smirked. _I can see right through your strategies, IV,_ he thought. _I'll counteract your attack with Killer Frilled Shark, and your monster's effect by removing Lancer from the field before I take any damage. This duel is __**mine**__._

'I attack Lancer with Heaven's Strings!' continued IV. 'Go, Heaven's Blade!'

'I activate the effect of Killer Frilled Shark!' replied Ryoga. 'By banishing it from my Graveyard, your attack is negated and your monster loses 500 attack points!'

'I activate the Spell Card, Puppet Recovery! As my attack with a "Gimmick Puppet" was negated, I can draw two cards!'

_He turned my effect against me,_ mused Ryoga.

'And besides,' said IV, 'I still have Heaven's Strings' effect! By detaching an Xyz Material from it, all monsters you currently control are destroyed during your next End Phase, and you will then take damage equal to their attack power! That is your fate, Ryoga! To be left defenceless and crippled against my power!'

'Fuck your fate, IV!' yelled Ryoga. 'I won't let you control me any longer! You have been responsible for every horrible thing that has ever happened to me, and I won't let you continue!' Ryoga's eyes began to water. 'You almost beat my sister to death, then used her situation to beat me in a _fucking card game!_ What sort of a _monster_ does that? IV, you're not human,' Ryoga paused and his eyes suddenly blazed violet, 'and that's why it's going to be perfectly alright, when this duel over, for me to rip you _apart._'

IV froze, startled by the conviction in Ryoga's voice, before shaking his head to clear it.

'I… I end…' he whispered, shocked.

'My turn,' replied Ryoga, eyes blazing. 'I'm going to kill you, IV.'


	7. Chapter 7

Tres Tantibus glared at Yuma and Homura angrily. 'Why aren't you scared?' he muttered suddenly. 'I'm going to destroy you and everything you have ever known. _Why aren't you scared of me?_'

'III…' whispered Yuma.

'Be scared!' ordered Tres, voice cracking. 'Be afraid of me! I'll kill you! _Be scared! Please!_'

Around Tres appeared monstrosities, no longer in the visage of his OOPArt monsters, but now terrible black and deformed creatures with tiny, malignant eyes.

'I'll kill you!' cried Tres. 'I'll kill you! That's… that's my task. My task is to end everything. That's it.' His eyes closed and he began to smile. 'My task is to end everything,' he whispered. 'My task is to end everything. My task…'

The creatures around Tres descended upon Yuma.

'Yuma, your Numbers!' said Astral, and Yuma nodded.

'Yeah! Come on, Numbers 7, 11, 17, 25, 50!' he declared, throwing cards onto his disk. 'Lucky Stripe, Big Eye, Leviath Dragon, Focus Force, Black Corn! Bring them down!'

Behind Yuma appeared his monsters, which immediately began to attack the black creatures, tearing them apart, even as they reappeared in seconds.

'This is hard,' he muttered, and voice began to go weak.

'It seems,' commented Astral, 'that holding the Numbers drains your life force.'

'That's not good,' groaned Yuma. 'I don't suppose you can help?'

'I'm already doing all I can,' replied Astral. 'Now it is only a matter of how long we can survive.'

There was a sudden flash of light, and around Yuma all the black creatures were suddenly sliced apart. Around him again, the Numbers faded and he collapsed to the ground.

Tres twisted to see Homura, wielding a pair of long, thin shotguns. 'Where did you get those?' he asked, startled.

'A Puella Magi should never fight alone,' replied Homura, and around her five silhouettes began to solidify. 'I call!' she declared, showing her disk and the five cards placed upon it. 'The three warriors of light and the two guardians of darkness! The Puella Magi, Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka, Oriko, Kirika!'

Tres narrowed his eyes. 'Very impressive,' he muttered, before flinging a ball of black energy towards her.

Around them, a red wall materialised, absorbing the attack. Homura smiled, and looked up at the others, who nodded. 'Last witch,' she remarked, and the six of them converged towards Tres.

* * *

'My turn!' declared Ryoga. 'I draw! Now, I activate my Lancer's effect, detaching its other Xyz Material to negate the effect of your Heaven's Strings!'

'Your monster is too weak to defeat mine,' warned IV, 'and whilst it remains, you're going to take damage at the end of this turn!'

'I Tribute Lancer, and Advance Summon Jawsman!' stated Ryoga. IV blinked as the huge creature appeared behind Ryoga. 'In a single move, I counteract both your pathetic attempts to stop me, IV! Go, Jawsman! Destroy Heaven's Strings! _Jaws Crush!_'

The deformed creature collided with IV's puppet, shattering the latter into pieces. Ryoga smirked.

'How's that for fate, IV!' he mocked. 'I end!'

IV began laughing insanely, and the marking around his eye flashed. 'Your fate was sealed from the offset! It's my turn! I activate Gimmick Zone's effect, adding my third Necro Doll from my Deck to my hand! Now, Spider's Web's effect! I discard Necro Doll to Special Summon it! Necro's Doll's effect, I banish one copy to Summon the other!'

'Another of your Rank 8's, IV?' said Ryoga. 'They're no real threat.'

'This is not another simple Xyz Monster,' replied IV. 'This is the most powerful Number, which feeds upon the souls of its comrades and uses them to protect itself! A monster of unsurpassable power!' His eyes narrowed. 'Because I have three banished "Gimmick Puppets",' he continued, 'I can Special Summon Gimmick Puppet – Heartless CEO by returning them to my Graveyard! And with these three Level 8 Dark monsters, I construct the Ultimate Overlay Network!'

Behind IV appeared a shining silver mirror, which began growing and expanding behind him.

'Xyz Summon! The accursed seal that drains the souls of all who come in contact with it! Number 64!'

Behind IV, the mirror stopped expanding, and from behind it a blank puppet appeared. Markings began appearing over the side of its face as the number 64 appeared at the top of the mirror.

'_Gimmick Puppet!_'

The puppet's form stopped shifting. On one shoulder, a black wing appeared. Over the left side of its face, a horrific clown-like mask appeared, three horns emerging from its side. Its single red eye stared at Ryoga.

'_EMPTY SEAL!_'

Ryoga almost stumbled back and fell off the platform, but caught himself.

'What… what is that…' he whispered. He went pale, but then relaxed as he noticed that its attack power was 0.

'Empty Seal won't stay weak for long,' stated IV, as if reading Ryoga's mind. 'I activate its effect! Mirror Soul!'

From IV's Graveyard, two flashes of light appeared and were sucked into the mirror. Inside it, the blurred images of his previous two Xyz Monsters appeared.

'I equip Giant Killer and Heaven's Strings to Empty Seal,' intoned IV. 'Then, Empty Seal's attack and defence power become their total attack and defence power, bringing both scores to a magnificent total of 4500!'

_4500?_ thought Ryoga. _How the hell am I meant to get past that?_

'Additionally,' continued IV, 'whilst it has monsters equipped to it by its effect, it cannot be removed from the field by card effects, and its effects cannot be negated. Additionally, I activate Gimmick Barrier, preventing all "Puppet" Spell and Trap cards I control from being destroyed for three turns – more than long enough from me to defeat you! You are _finished_, Ryoga!'

Ryoga cursed under his breath.

'Now,' stated IV, 'it's time to attack! Empty Seal, destroy Ryoga's Jawsman! _Illusion Breaker!_'

The puppet behind the mirror extended out, a blackened sword appearing its left hand and slashing through Jawsman, before slamming flatly into Ryoga, flinging him sideways. He stumbled over the edge of the platform and slipped, falling over and grabbing its side with a single hand.

IV walked over and stood above him, then looked over him towards the ever-closing magma below him.

'It's getting close,' remarked IV. 'Just another five minutes or so and it should be here.'

'IV…' muttered Ryoga angrily. 'I'm going to…'

'_Kill me,_' hissed IV. '_Please._'

Ryoga blinked, and IV threw him up over the edge of the platform and back up.

'I end,' said IV. 'Take your final turn, Ryoga.'

Ryoga smirked. 'With pleasure, IV. It's my turn, I draw!'

'During your Standby Phase,' interrupted IV, 'Empty Seal's effect activates! I detach an Xyz Material from it and inflict 100 damage to you for each Level of each monster in my Graveyard! Including the detached Necro Doll, that's 2800 damage!'

'Quick-Play Spell Card!' replied Ryoga. 'Damage Solvent! That halves the damage I take and allow me to draw a card for each 1000 damage I take! So, I'll take 1400 damage and draw a card!'

IV smirked. 'You're still taking damage, Ryoga!' he crowed, and above him the mirror shone, before a blast of white light emerged from it and covered Ryoga. Around him, the ground began cracking, but he stayed still.

'Thank you, IV,' he replied. 'But now it's time for such little tricks as that to end. I activate Depth Prize! I send Hammer Shark from my Deck to the Graveyard and add a Fish-Type monster with the same attack power as it from my Deck to my hand! I choose to add the White Swamp Eel! Now, I activate Salvage, adding Shark Sucker and Spiked Sunfish from my Graveyard to my hand! And now, I Normal Summon Swamp Eel, and Special Summon Shark Sucker! Spell Card, Downward Current! I reduce Swamp Eel's Level by 1, to 3!'

'Gimmick Zone's effect!' interrupted IV. 'Whilst I control a "Gimmick Puppet" Xyz Monster, you cannot Xyz Summon monsters with a lower attack power than that Xyz Monster!'

Ryoga paused, then smiled. 'IV,' he said, 'do you know what the prize for winning the Regional Championship, three years back, one year before you ruined my life, was?'

'No?' replied IV, startled.

Ryoga smirked, then threw his hand up. 'I tune Shark Sucker to Swamp Eel!' he declared.

'What?' cried IV.

'Come forth, frozen ruler of the domain of the past! Bring down your wrath upon my opponents!' chanted Ryoga. Behind him, green rings appeared and lined up, before a bolt of blue emerged from their centre, shearing through the bottom of the platform and speeding down into the magma, freezing it where it hit. 'Synchro Summon! Rise up! _Dragon of the Ice Barrier! Brionac!_'

Behind Ryoga appeared a massive blue dragon, majestic and powerful. It glared down at IV, and he gulped.

'I activate Brionac's effect!' continued Ryoga. 'By discarding two cards, I can return two of your cards to your hand! I choose to return Giant Killer and Heaven's Strings! Go, _Memory Purger!_'

Brionac spat a blast of blue energy into IV's cards, and they dissipated into mist. He paled.

'Because there are no cards equipped to it,' continued Ryoga, 'your Empty Seal's attack and defence power returns to zero! Now, I'm attacking Empty Seal with Brionac! End this! _Frozen Lightning Stream!_'

The dragon's attack tore through the mirror, shattering it. Pieces of it crashed into the ground around IV, and his half of the platform began to break apart.

'Ryoga,' said IV calmly. 'I'm sorry for all the awful things I've done to you. I know this won't redeem me. But I wanted you to know it.' He took his deck from his pocket and threw it over to Ryoga, where he caught it. 'Enjoy,' he said weakly, glancing downwards. 'And Ryoga? Don't feel so guilty.'

'What?' replied Ryoga, before IV jumped off his broken platform and fell into the magma below, disappearing in an instant.

There was a pause, and then around Ryoga the world flickered and returned to its earlier bizarre state.

'IV…' he muttered. 'You bastard, IV.'

He sat down on the ground and began to cry. 'You bastard, IV!' he yelled.

* * *

Tres smirked, and glanced towards Homura where she stood, fighting several of his creatures.

'So nii-kun took the coward's way out,' he mused, and Homura paused. Around her, the Puella Magi vanished in an instant.

'What?' she replied.

'My brother, IV, just died,' said Tres. 'And now that his seal, that was keeping me from developing my true powers, is gone, there is nothing to stop me from destroying the whole world!'

Homura smiled. _So IV and the seal are gone?_ She laughed. _Tres Tantibus, the last witch, you have no idea what's about to hit you._

* * *

Inside the hospital, beside Kaito and Haruto's still unconscious bodies, and under the watch of Orbital 7, Madoka awoke.

She stood up quickly, eyes hard with a determination more suited to Homura or Kaito. When Orbital tried to stop her, she knocked him away with little effort.

There was a flash, and she stood instantly atop a building, facing the creature that III had become, dressed now in a long white dress. She smiled softly.

'III,' she whispered, and she felt the creature's consciousness face her. 'I'm going to save you.'

In her hands appeared a long, thin bow, from which sprouted roots and leaves. Along it, the cord shone white. Inside it, a single white arrow materialised, and she turned and pointed the bow towards Tres Tantibus.

'Finale,' she whispered, and around her the world shone brightly with a trillion balls of light as she fired.


	8. Chapter 8

III opened his eyes, and blearily looked around him. The room was totally white.

'Where am I?' he whispered, looking down at himself. He was dressed in a thin white coat.

'III!' came a yell from beside him, and he slowly turned to see Yuma. 'You're alive!'

'Yuma…' replied III. 'Where am I? Where… where's nii-sama?'

Yuma looked away, clearly uncomfortable. 'We didn't want to contact your other brother,' he muttered. 'Because…'

'IV-sama?' whispered III. 'Did I… did I…'

III began crying, and Yuma watched him helplessly.

'Don't cry,' came a voice, and III looked up to see a tall pink-haired girl in a long white dress looking down at him sadly. 'Nothing that happened was your fault, III.'

'But… but…' he whimpered.

'Your brother is alright,' stated the girl. 'I'll take care of him, the same way I've taken care of everyone who fell to a witch.'

'But…' III mumbled.

'Don't worry,' said the girl. 'You'll be alright.'

* * *

Madoka turned and walked out to see Homura. 'Are we ready?' she asked.

Homura nodded. 'We'll go back, and wipe Kyubey out of this universe before he gets a chance to harm any of these people.' She tapped the hourglass on the side of her buckler, and with a flash of violet the two vanished.

* * *

Kaito sat on the steps outside the hospital, Haruto beside him, watching the sun set over Heartland's cityscape.

'Hey, Haruto,' he whispered, smiling, and his brother looked up at him. 'I told you that I'd get you out of your dream.'

Haruto nodded, and Kaito took a wallet from his pocket – his life savings from before he and Haruto had been collected by Heartland.

'Come on, Haruto,' said Kaito, standing up, 'let's go get something to eat.'

Haruto nodded again, smiling, and the two walked off.

* * *

From Heartland's security centre, Droite and Gauche watched them leave through the screens in front of them.

'You're not going to stop them?' asked Droite.

'The mood struck me to give them a chance,' replied Gauche offhandedly. 'Besides, don't you think that I can handle Kaito's job?'

Droite smiled. 'Of course _we_ can,' she said. 'Together.'

She put her hand on his.

* * *

Ryoga woke up. He was lying in an alleyway near where the centre of Tres Tantibus had been. Around him were scattered both his and IV's cards.

He slowly began to pick them up, before noticing five cards arrayed in front of him, glowing a fierce purple.

He slowly picked up Shark Drake, and sighed. 'What now?' he whispered.

* * *

Homura and Madoka reappeared in an alleyway in Heartland.

'Where is he?' muttered Homura. Madoka pointed, and Kyubey appeared from a corner in front of them. He barely had time to react before Madoka shot an arrow into him, shattering him into white.

'Done,' stated Madoka. 'Let's leave.'

The two of them vanished once more into gold dust.

III walked past, glancing for a moment at the dissipating golden dust. He shook his head.

_Trick of the light,_ he mused, before being interrupted by a beeping from his pocket. He took a small headset from his pocket, and put it on.

'III,' said IV over it, 'Yuma Tsukumo's duelling Ryoga. You wanted to see Yuma's duelling style, here's your chance. Uploading the location.'

'Thank you, nii-sama!' replied III.

'No problem,' answered IV. 'I'd do anything for you, little bro. And uh… don't tell V I said that.'

'You got it,' said III, clipping the headset shut again and running off to watch Yuma duel.

Today was looking to be a good day.


End file.
